DescentBB

flip wrote:...reading about the huge centipedes in Penang...

Size can range from a few millimetres in the smaller lithobiomorphs and geophilomorphs to about 30 cm (12 in) in the largest scolopendromorphs.

handed over to the "authority" to be studied

flip wrote:EDIT: TC's post about killer spiders helped

flip wrote:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVIzyUBJ ... re=related

1:35 center bottom, you can see the flames burning on the ground directly under where the cloud formed. I think Waldo's in Malaysia

EDIT: Another one not in Beijing?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCOZ9_YS ... re=related

flip wrote:You may be right. China is still a cesspool. I hope you all have enough room for em :P

Cities in Iran, India, Pakistan and the capital of Mongolia rank among the worst on the planet for air pollution, while those in the United States and Canada are among the best, according to the first global survey released Monday by the World Health Organization.

The southwest Iranian city of Ahvaz earned the unfortunate distinction of having the highest measured level of airborne particles smaller than 10 micrometers.

WHO released the list to highlight the need to reduce outdoor air pollution, which is estimated to cause 1.34 million premature deaths each year. The global body said investments to lower pollution levels quickly pay off because of lower disease rates and, therefore, lower health care costs.

The list, which relies on country-reported data over the past several years, measures the levels of airborne particles smaller than 10 micrometers - so-called PM10s - for almost 1,100 cities.

WHO recommends an upper limit of 20 micrograms for PM10s, which can cause serious respiratory problems in humans. They are mostly sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide from power plants, auto exhausts and industry.

Ahvaz's annual average of PM10s was 372 micrograms per cubic meter. Heavy industry and low-quality vehicle fuel are the main causes of air pollution in the desert city of 1.3 million.

The study found that the Mongolian capital, Ulan Bator, had an annual average PM10s density of 279 micrograms per cubic meter, followed by another west Iranian city, Sanandaj, with 254 micrograms.

Cities in Pakistan and India, such as Quetta and Kanpur, as well as Botswana's capital, Gaborone, also ranked high on the pollution scale.

WHO said the reasons for high pollution levels varied, but often rapid industrialization and the use of poor quality fuels for transportation and electricity generation are to blame.

At the other end of the list are cities in Canada and the United States, which benefit from lower population density, favorable climates and stricter air pollution regulation.

Yukon territory's capital, Whitehorse, had a yearly average of just 3 micrograms of PM10s per cubic meter, while Santa Fe, N.M., measured 6 micrograms.

Washington, D.C., had a level of 18 micrograms, Tokyo measured 23 micrograms, and Paris had 38 micrograms of PM10s per cubic meter

Australia has the highest per capita level of greenhouse gas emissions in the developed world, largely because of its heavy reliance on coal to generate electricity, a report has found.

Just days after the Prime Minister, John Howard, outlined an energy package which confirmed coal as the major source of future energy production, the Australia Institute revealed total emissions are now greater than those created by more highly populated countries such as France and Italy.

Each person now creates 27.2 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent each year, or enough to fill 27 family homes. The figure is 27 per cent higher than the amount produced by American citizens and more than double the average figure for people living in industrialised countries.

Electricity generation, transportation and the production of non ferrous metals such as aluminium were the largest contributors to the high emissions levels.

The report, done for the institute by the OECD's International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, showed average per capita emissions in industrialised countries as a whole declined by more than 12 per cent between 1990 and 2001. This was also the case in Australia, where per capita emissions declined by just over 7.5 per cent.


However, the reduction is because declining rates of land clearing have offset increasing levels of emissions created by energy production and transport.

Mr Howard said this week that Australia was dealing with climate change "the smart way".

"It recognises that Australia cannot afford to put at risk ... industries that directly employ 120,000 Australians and which earn more than $24 billion a year in export income," he said. "The energy advantage provided by our resources is something Australia must not throw away."

The Government was heavily criticised by the Opposition, minor parties, the renewable energy industry and environment groups for not taking strong action to reduce emissions.

The report "should shock every Australian", Greenpeace campaigner Catherine Fitzpatrick said. "The Federal Government's current energy policy is taking us down a dangerous path.

"Australians care about climate change and this report is another nail in the coffin of the Prime Minister's dead-end energy policy."

The president of the Australian Medical Association, Dr Bill Glasson, said making diesel fuel cheaper would increase air pollution in cities. "In Europe, the number of deaths caused by vehicle emissions was estimated to be more than twice the number of deaths from road accidents," he said.

"In Australia deaths caused by vehicle emissions at least equals the number of deaths caused by road accidents. The Howard Government has made dirty fuels cheaper, our air more polluted and potentially caused the death of many more Australians."

A report from the Bureau of Transport and Regional Services last year estimated the health cost of pollution in cities at $3.5 billion per year.